This aluminum sculpture by James C. Myford, titled "Three Part Form," was commissioned by Manufacturing Data Systems and acquired by U-M when it bought the Arbor Lakes complex in 1997. Click on the photo for more information about the artwork. The Record Update periodically highlights pieces of public art at U-M. Browse an online collection of public artworks.

U-M's Third Century Initiative issues call for world-changing ideasThe university's Third Century Initiative today is rolling out its second funding component — a call for proposals through Global Challenges for a Third Century, a grant program open to faculty in all units and disciplines with the sole purpose of inspiring and cultivating transformative ideas on how to address some of the world's most vexing problems and greatest challenges.

Community meetings planned regarding Connector Members of the university community will be able to provide their opinion regarding the Connector during a series of drop-in events this week. The goal of the Connector is to develop a plan for high-capacity transit in an arc from northeast to south Ann Arbor, connecting major destinations including downtown, U-M campuses and medical center, and commercial areas.

This week in the University Record • Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak at U-M
• Students go beyond platitudes to examine sustainability
• Staff spotlight: Russian plays keep system administrator connected to her homeland
Read these stories and more in the Record, available in racks across campus.

The Michigan Difference

A conservator gives back
Cathleen Baker, a conservation librarian at the U-M Library, has established a new fellowship that gives students, practicing conservators, and researchers the opportunity to actively conserve materials from the library’s extensive collection. The first fellows in the program — Lauren Calcote and Aisha Wahab — currently are working at the library. “Conservators, whether they are associated with institutions or in private practice, are not usually in a financial position to leave their work temporarily to pursue a short-term project that will benefit the profession and our cultural heritage,” Baker says.